What Now?
by SilverLight7
Summary: Something must have gone wrong, he just knew it. Because instead of arriving shortly before Sasuke left the village, like his father said he would, he finds himself running into one of the last people he expected. His grandfather, Namikaze Minato.


So, my laptop is currently unavailable due to reasons I'd really rather not get into. Therefore, I am currently without the chapters I have been working on for my stories. Until I get my precious laptop back, I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me a little longer. In the meantime, I come to you from another computer with something to help you pass the time. I don't think I've seen this done before, so hopefully, I'll get points for originality.

This is time travel. Yea, I'm obsessed. I love time travel stories. Anyway, this will have a bit of a twist, at least I hope so. Pairing? Naruto/Hinata. Sorry Naru/Saku and Naru/Other fans, this is just how I roll. I'm telling you this so I don't get any comments later about how I gave no warning. That's all I think needs to be said for now, I'll let you guys judge the rest of it yourselves. Please read on and enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

Chapter 1

_Konohagakure~ 16 years after Naruto's confrontation with Pain_

Wide eyes stared in horror at the scene before him. This was a nightmare, it had to be. There was no way that this was the same village he'd woken up in this morning. His village was peaceful and happy. It wasn't filled with explosions or screams as people ran in terror. Such events had practically been unheard of since the inauguration of the Sixth. That's why he was absolutely convinced that any second now, he would wake up in a warm embrace, soothing words calming his fright.

He would wake up to see his mother's eyes, and then look down at his baby sister's smiling face- because his mother will have brought her along. That wasn't them lying so still on the ground, something red- that wasn't blood -slowly staining the ground below them. It wasn't.

"_No_…"

The familiar voice made him turn, though he regretted it the moment he did. His father, who was strong and brave and always smiling, looked broken. He watched as he fell to his knees next to his not-mother and sister, cradling them both in his trembling arms before choking back what sounded frighteningly like a sob.

"No," he moaned, the grief is his voice thick. "_Hinata_..._Hiroko_…"

He couldn't hold back anymore. Nightmare or not, the sight of his father like this was enough to break the dam within him. At the first sniffle, his father's head shot up, slowly widening eyes locking onto him. Suddenly, he found himself in a tight embrace, slight tremors still felt in the larger figure.

"You're alive," he breathed. "You're _alive_! Thank Kami-sama. I thought…"

He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head. His father stood and picked him up gently, as if he would break at the slightest bit of force. Normally, he would complain. Now, he found he craved the closeness.

"I'm so sorry…I should have gotten here sooner."

"It's okay," he muttered. "It's just a bad dream anyway."

He felt his father stiffen, and was afraid to look him in the eyes again. Doing so would be accepting the truth that a small part of him already knew. The truth he didn't want to see yet.

"Dream?" His father asked hoarsely. "I-It's…it's not-…"

He faltered, both at being unable to finish and at the fact that the small boy had buried his face in his chest with a whine.

"Come on," he finally said. "There's a few things left to do."

He wasn't sure what that meant, but he didn't feel like doing much of anything at the moment. His father carried him upstairs to his room, and after setting him down on the bed, began going around, collecting various things and organizing them in piles. He looked around in a sense of shocked detachment, wondering why his room looked so bright and cheerful when that was the last thing he felt it should be. He missed the concerned, sorrowful look he was given.

Finally, he was brought back by the muffled popping sound of things being sealed into scrolls. His father quickly labeled them with a fluid motion that came from hours of paperwork and working on seals. After placing them in a small pack, he sighed, slumping slightly against the wall.

"'Tou-chan…?"

He didn't move, but he began to speak.

"I'm fine."

There was a pause. Then, even though he couldn't see his face, he felt as if his father had suddenly resigned himself to something.

"Listen…There's something I need you to do."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Half an hour later, father and son stood on top of the Hokage Monument, the sounds of battle still echoing up from below. He was distressed to see the village in such a state.

"Don't they need you, 'Tou-chan?"

"I have a few Kage Bunshins down there. They should hold until I'm done."

"Done with what?"

His father stared toward the horizon, his torn, dirty, but once pristine cloak fluttered weakly in the breeze. His eyes were tired, sad…

"There's a special fuin jutsu I've been working on. It was more of a hobby, really. I started it mostly because people told me it would be impossible to pull off, and you know how your old man likes doing the impossible."

He smiled slightly at the giggle this earned.

"Figures that I'd actually find use for it," he continued in a much more subdued tone.

His father walked over and knelt down, placing both hands on his shoulders.

"The thing I want you to do isn't easy," he said. "Normally, I wouldn't even consider it…But I haven't quite figured out how to make it work a different way yet."

He could feel his face scrunch up in confusion, and judging from the older man's sigh, he saw it too.

"I guess this might make more sense if I told you what it was, huh? To put it simply, it's a time traveling jutsu."

A grin that looked more like the ones he was used to spread on his father's face. It probably had to do with the fact that his mouth was hanging open.

"As it is now, I have to stay here and provide a steady chakra flow to keep the jutsu stable. And the user can only send someone that has a strong connection to them. Blood relation is the most I think I can pull off without too much risk. I haven't developed this enough to try anything else right now."

"So…you want me to…"

His grin faded slightly.

"Yea…I want to send you back so we can keep this from happening."

He swallowed dryly, already feeling nerves build up. He could save them.

"I know it's a lot to ask. You're still so young-"

"I'm already seven!"

The sad smile was back.

"Right, sorry. It's a lot to ask, but I know you can do it. What do you say?"

"…Okay."

He felt his hair being ruffled.

"That's my boy. Strong like Kaa-chan."

"And brave like you?"

He missed the way his father's eyes seemed to get brighter at that.

"Yea, son. So very brave…I'm proud of you."

A clone walked up and handed something to the man.

"It's time."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He adjusted the pack straps as his father went over the general plan one more time.

"I've aimed for around the time Sasuke left the village. While he's not the main problem, it is somewhat related, and I know Konoha could be spared a lot of trouble and grief if he never left."

He was handed a scroll.

"Give this to Tsunade-obaachan. You remember what she looks like, right?"

"I think so…She's blonde, like us, but it's lighter. Right?"

"Yea. She's also got a little diamond mark on her forehead and some _huge_-…ehh…never mind."

He cleared his throat.

"If you can't find her in the Hokage tower, than she might be at the hospital."

"Okay."

"If she doesn't believe you even after reading the contents of the scroll, then-" He hesitated for a moment before pulling something over his head and slipping it over his son's. "Then show her this."

"Your necklace?"

"No. _Your_ necklace. I'm giving it to you."

He gaped.

"But-"

"But nothing. You know its history. When Tsunade gave it to me, she was giving me her faith and her trust. Now, I'm doing the same. Don't worry about curses or superstitions, just do your best. If you do that, then there's nothing to be afraid of."

He felt an odd tightness in his throat.

"But you love this necklace!"

"Yea, but you're more important. It'll keep you safe, promise."

He found himself hugging his father in seconds.

"Thank you."

Strong arms wrapped around him in response.

"Don't mention it. I know you'll wear it proudly."

A loud explosion broke the moment. Both pulled away from each other's hold reluctantly.

"Now, make sure you listen to her, okay? She can be a bit scary, but she's a good person. She'll take care of you."

He stepped into the center of the markings spread across the ground.

"I won't let you down, Tou-chan. I'll make sure things are different. When I come back, everything will be better."

"…Of course…"

The hand seals started off slow. He could make out a few of them: boar, tiger, dragon…

"Make sure you hide your eyes. There you go."

They were too fast to follow now.

"…I love you. Don't ever forget it."

"Tou-chan?"

"Good luck."

A blinding light flashed before his eyes. There was a sudden pull inside of him and then, darkness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Naruto, sixth Hokage, felt a deep ache inside of him as he sent his remaining child into the unknown. He had tried to keep on a brave front, but the knowledge that he might never see his son again joined the various emotional wounds he had sustained this day, breaking what little control he had left. Tears streamed down his face even as his body strained to maintain the jutsu.

If everything went well, he knew they would meet again. However, Naruto also knew that life, if nothing else, never went according to plan.

Almost as if brought forth by the thought, he felt a brief spike of chakra surge within him, followed by a dark laugh in his mind. His face paled.

'_You damn fox! What have you done?'_

**I just made things a bit more exciting. Where will your precious son end up now, Hokage?**

Cursing Kyuubi with every fiber of his being, he tried to minimize the damage. One of the requirements was a set amount of chakra depending on the amount of time one wished to go back. Any less might not send them as far back as planned, any more would…

He shook his head. He wasn't going to think about that right now.

He might not be able to stop him from going farther than intended, but he could at least try to make sure he didn't end up in the time of the First…or worse. The demonic chakra was certainly strong enough for that to not be outside the realm of possibility. As the jutsu reached its last stages, he could feel his movements growing slower.

'_The timeline is starting to stop. I have to hurry.'_

Once his son reached his destination, he knew he wouldn't have much time until the present would fall into a state of suspended animation. Then, whatever changes were made in the past would be able to change the future with minimal hassle. The only ones, ideally, to ever remember what _was_ would be the time traveler and the jutsu caster. It was a mental strain unlike any he knew, as both parties would be required to remember two lives once time started up again. He hoped that Kyuubi and the fact that his son was still too young to have many memories would be enough to spare them.

Reaching out farther than he should, he felt his chakra wrap around his son's and help pull him back in the right direction. When he couldn't hold on any longer, he let him go and sped up the last few hand seals so he would have a few more precious seconds to figure out the new landing. The moment he did, he felt his eyes widen. Quickly creating a clone, he set it to make alterations to the markings on the ground while he pulled out a scroll and wrote as fast as he could.

'_I don't have enough time to write everything I want. But maybe…it just might work…I just have to make a few alterations and…'_

A few more hand seals were quickly executed before he rolled up the scroll and, without a second thought, chucked it into the bright light his son had disappeared into.

"Are you _crazy_?" His clone yelled. "It's unstable enough without you tossing things in there! Just what the hell was that, anyway?"

"Last second change!" He called back. "Don't worry about it!"

"Don't worry about it, he says," the clone grumbled to himself. "I mean, the worst that can happen is that we all _die_. No big deal, really. Tch, I thought we were supposed to be over that whole leap before you look thing."

"I can hear you, you know."

"Good. Maybe you'll actually _think_ about these things for once."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"You done changing it?"

"Yea, yea. _I'm_ actually _trying_ to keep this thing from blowing up in our faces."

"Shut up and disperse yourself already."

It did so with a huff. Naruto smirked slightly in amusement, idly wondering just when it was that his clones adopted such a nagging personality. It was probably when he actually started thinking things through. It's rather hard not to criticize yourself when you can actually _see_ what most spontaneous choices would result in.

He sighed. How he missed the good old days.

He tensed as he felt his son arrive. Normally, he would cut off the chakra now, but he still had to make sure the scroll reached him. Doing his best to ignore the increased sluggishness of his body, he concentrated only on that.

'_Just a little more…Give me just a few more seconds…'_

The air froze in his lungs, making him choke as his body fought to retain control. Next was his heart. It was a strange experience being conscious while _knowing_ that your heart wasn't beating… and painful.

Very painful.

He barely felt the signal within him that signaled the safe arrival of the scroll. The moment he did, a weak smile flitted onto his face.

'_The rest is up to him…Hinata…please watch over him. Bring…him back…home…safely…'_

The world, frozen in time, never noticed the man fall to the ground.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The sound of voices lulled him from unconsciousness.

"Should we take him to the hospital?"

"Idiot. How do we know he's not a spy?"

"Come on, Kakashi, really? He's just a kid."

'_Kakashi…? Kakashi-jiji is here…?'_

"We're _kids_ too if you think about it."

"Hmph. Well, yea, but I don't think they sent _you_ on spy missions when you were that tiny."

He felt a flash of indignation. He was _not_ tiny! More importantly, where was Kakashi? These voices sounded way too young for any to be him.

"Shh! I think he's waking up!"

That voice was feminine. So, there were at least three people here. Four, if Kakashi was really there.

"I'll go get Sensei!"

"Wait! Get back here! _Obito_!"

Obito? He didn't know of anyone by that name. Maybe he was a ninja that died during the fourth ninja war?

"Hey," the girl called gently. "Can you hear me?"

"U-…Urgh…"

This was stupid. Why wasn't his mouth working with him? His eyes too, now that he thought about it. They didn't want to open.

"Just take it easy. You're suffering from some sort of chakra damage…If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was almost as if you were wrapped in it…"

"W-Wrapped?"

"Yes! Though you seem to be getting over it really well! Can you sit up?"

"Think…think so…"

As she helped him up, he heard two others arrive.

"Rin, Obito told me he's awake."

There was something familiar about that voice. It almost sounded like…but that couldn't be. His father was supposed to be a kid right now.

"Yes, but he's still weak."

"It's probably a trick."

"You can't say that for sure, Kakashi."

He felt someone kneel down next to him. Slowly, he finally forced his eyes to open, only to barely hold back a gasp when he did. The man in front of him…he…

"Are you all right?"

"Y-Yes."

"That's good. Can you tell me your name?"

"Maybe we should just call him mini-sensei! He looks just like you! Except those sunglasses, but they look cute on'm."

"I'm _not_ cute," he grumbled.

A laugh was the immediate response.

"I suppose you have a point," the man said. "We do look similar. Maybe-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a flash of light. It nearly blinded him despite the fact that he was wearing sunglasses.

"What the _hell_?"

"Get behind me!"

They all leapt back a bit, the younger ones falling behind the man. They stared at each other, before the group whispered amongst themselves. Unfortunately, the voices were too quiet to make out. Finally, someone spoke.

"That light…was that you?"

"No."

"Then what was it?"

"Sensei, look."

The dark haired boy was pointing at something on the ground. Cautiously, everyone stepped closer.

It was a scroll.

"A scroll? But why would it appear in such a fashion?"

"I think it's for you, Sensei," the girl said. "It's got your name on it."

"Does it?"

He picked it up and examined it. Sure enough, his name was written on the outside- albeit a bit sloppily. There was just one problem.

"It's not opening."

"That's because it's not for you."

His voice came out quieter than he would have liked. To be honest, he didn't feel bad about it at all. He wasn't supposed to be here. Kakashi- because that kid couldn't be anyone else –wasn't supposed to be that young. That man was definitely not supposed to be here.

'_Tou-chan, did something go wrong?'_

"What do you mean?"

Should he tell them? He was supposed to tell Obaa-chan, but was it okay to tell them too? Was Tsunade even here right now? What was he supposed to do if she wasn't?

That thought sent chills down his spine.

He glanced at the scroll. There was bound to be some answers in there, or his father wouldn't have sent it. Above everything else, he needed to get ahold of it.

"Are you all right? You're a bit pale."

The genuine concern in the question made his choice. He could trust them; if for nothing else than the fact that this man, who looked so much like him, was family.

"It's for me. I-…I know this'll sound crazy, but I-"

He took a calming breath.

"I'm from the future. I'm Namikaze Minato…your grandson."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo Chapter End**

So what did you think? I wanted to keep from using names until the end. You know, to build up the tension and curiosity. Anyway, a few things:

Naruto took the name Namikaze because it was his birthright. It doesn't mean he disliked Uzumaki. In fact, for the first year or so after he took the name, he could be heard confiding to his friends how strange it was to be addressed so. His friends still use Uzumaki occasionally.

The future follows what canon there's been up to this point, and then I take a few liberties. I know Danzou was supposed to be the sixth, but he was in power way too little for me to consider the title legit. So, Naruto's the real sixth.

If little Minato seems like he's way too smart for a seven year old, you're partially right. I've always gotten the impression that the ninja children in Naruto were smarter for their age. The other reason? Minato lives up to his namesake well. He's a little genius, much to the amusement of his father, the pride of his mother, and the disbelief of their friends.

I think that's it for now. Let me know what you thought. Sorry again to those of you who have read my other Naruto time travel and are waiting for the next chapter. As soon as I get my laptop back, I'll make sure a new chapter comes up. The next chapter's mostly done as it is.

Later everyone! Take care and until next time!

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